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By: Eric A. Heath | November 19, 2016 - 3:13pm

On November 3, 2016, the justice minister of South Africa presented a bill to parliament that would allow the state to withdraw from the International Criminal Court. According to reports, “Pretoria last year announced its intention to leave after the ICC criticized it for disregarding an order to arrest Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir during a visit to South Africa. Bashir faces charges of orchestrating genocide and war crimes—charges that he dismisses.” The South African government said there was conflict between its obligations under the Rome Statute and its Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act. The Court has come under criticism lately from a number of African countries, some of which have also expressed a desire to withdraw from the Rome Statute.